136 replies to this topic

[Hasina]

Jacques Terreur, on 06 February 2013 - 01:17 PM, said:

pfffff.....too bad you can't really have one without the other

Depends on the religion and how you interpret the holy texts.

[khol]

Emma_Acid, on 06 February 2013 - 12:28 PM, said:

I cannot imagine anything worse. The fact that this life is all we've got is what gives it its value.

you could speculate tho that "an afterlife" would be uncomparable to this one..its like apples and oranges..both good but different
also we would never know the existence of this other realm until we kicked the ol' bucket (:

[freetoroam]

Whats this got to do with atheists?
I follow no religions, do not believe in god and most certainly would never follow novels like the bible or koran, but afterlife? yes sort of, but only in the form that your genes are based through to the next generation, so part of you does live on. As for ghosts, i have already said before, I believe these are imprints of time.


i would like to know why people ask atheists? I understand today that an atheist is someone who believes in god, but not yours, an agnostic does not believe but is open to proof, an ignostic is someone who will not believe, ever, no way.

so does no one think to ask the ignostic these questions?

Edited by freetoroam, 06 February 2013 - 01:56 PM.

[Zaphod222]

Cradle of Fish, on 06 February 2013 - 01:16 PM, said:

How many alien worlds are out there to visit? How many bizzare star systems and beautiful galaxies? If I got that afterlife I would pity those who go to heaven to gaze at Gods ankles.

Gods ankles? I´d be sick of that after 5 minutes, not to mention eternity.

But the same goes for your galaxies. So after you have investigated your first 100,000 mysterious galaxies and encountered your first thousand bug-eyed giant slug aliens or whatever.... you still want to continue this for ***eternity****?

It seems to me the Buddhist ideal of trying to escape from it all is pretty reasonable.

[HerNibs]

Emma_Acid, on 06 February 2013 - 12:28 PM, said:

I cannot imagine anything worse. The fact that this life is all we've got is what gives it its value.

Couldn't have said it better.  This life is special and wonderful because it's all I've got.  

Nibs

[Cradle of Fish]

Zaphod222, on 06 February 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

Gods ankles? IŽd be sick of that after 5 minutes, not to mention eternity.

But the same goes for your galaxies. So after you have investigated your first 100,000 mysterious galaxies and encountered your first thousand bug-eyed giant slug aliens or whatever.... you still want to continue this for ***eternity****?

It seems to me the Buddhist ideal of trying to escape from it all is pretty reasonable.

Well it's a highly speculative question, but that would be my preference for an eternal afterlife. Anything you could think of would get boring after a billion years - and that is absolutely nothing compared to an infinite amount of years.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Blood_Sacrifice, on 06 February 2013 - 11:13 AM, said:

Do you ever wish for there to be an afterlife? Note I said "wish" not believe.

This is a good question, and one I have discussed with Christian friends. Yes I do. Not so much because I want immortality in some form, but because I miss my parents and grandparents. I would love to know that one day I will see them again. However, I don't believe that it will happen.

[Liquid Gardens]

Sure, an afterlife would be cool as long as I can terminate it any time I wish.  I'm really hoping for of course the reuniting with loved ones, but also hoping to be able to time travel maybe in spirit form (or even in physical form), there's a lot of concerts/events I missed that I'd like to witness.

[onereaderone]

of  all  the  religious  concepts...   after  life  is  totaly  with  out  foundation  of  any  type  or  kind  in  any  reasoned   form  follows  function ....

lets  start  with  god  ....  if  god  never  makes  a mistake....   and  god  made  you...  why  do  you  need  a  second  chance  to  get  it  right...  when  god  made  you  right  the  first  time...  or...   did  god  make  you  as  his  exception  to  the  rule  of  never  making  a screw up?

point  two  of  god  concepts ...   why  do  you  need  a  brake  room /  waiting  room  (  green room)  for  the  main  event ?
show  me  one  other  exsample  of  when  nature  has  a perfectly  ready  baby...   and  it  waits   untill  its   a  good  moment  to  be  born   (  more  often ,  when  its  good  enought ,  it  pops...   ready  or  not  world  ,  here  i  come! ) ...
when  the  critical  mass   is  good...  the  fire  blooms ,  when  the  parts  come  togather...  bang! ...

dead  is  dead ,  no  waiting  around ....   there  is  no  interviews  after   life ,  so  no  locker  room ...  if  you  want  a  tranformation  to  some  other  state  or  condition ...  it  follows   rules  and  laws  ,  functions  and  patterns  ....OF  WHICH  AN  AFTER LIFE  IS  TOTALY  OUT  SIDE   WHAT  CAN  BE  SEEN  ...

there  is  with  out  exception  ,  no  reason what  ever  to  beleive  in   any  form  or  kind  of  afterlife   ...   unless   you  return  as  who  you  are   now...  and  repeat  the  life  you  live  currently  as  you...   cycles  do  repeat....   cycles  are  so  common...  we  have  a  number  of  words  for  it...   its  called  " cycles"  and frequancys ....  and  patterns ...   if  you  are  going  to  return  as  you ,  and  live  your  current  life  an  infinite  number  of  times...   then  that  is  supported  by  observable   history ...

if  god  is  orderly  ,  and  never  makes  a mistake  ,  and  is  consistant ...  and  if  god  is  orderly...   then  the  after life  is  a myth...  but  your  soul  is   conserved  as  a repeating  cycle  of  you  returning  and  reincarnating  as  you...  reliving  your  current  life  forever ...  being  who  you  are  each  and  every  time for  eternity .

Edited by onereaderone, 06 February 2013 - 03:21 PM.

[Frank Merton]

If God gets anything He wants and He wants everyone to be saved, the conclusion has to be that everyone is saved.

Now that gets around the idea of justice, but I don't think God couldn't think of a few ways to make it all perfectly just in the end too.  The Catholic idea of Purgatory comes to mind, or the Hindu/Buddhist idea of rebirth.

I don't personally think this is the way things are, but I certainly think that those who say God has to punish people forever and can't save everyone don't give God enough credit.

[Tiggs]

I dont believe that there is an afterlife, but given the choice, I would rather exist, than not.

[Ryu]

Zaphod222, on 06 February 2013 - 01:21 PM, said:

It seems to me the Buddhist ideal of trying to escape from it all is pretty reasonable.

So it basically boils down to the same mind numbing existence. Sit around and stare at gods for all eternity, praising and worshiping them. That is just as hideous of an existence as the Christian version

[Frank Merton]

Where did you get that idea?  I want to be Bodhisattva.  Look it up -- all eternity helping people find the way.

[onereaderone]

i  might  add ,  christians   are  rather  unique   in  their  beleif  in  an  after  life .  
the  supporting   concept  being   ,   the  body  sleeps  at  nights   and  wakes  to  a  new  day....   but  what  is  missed  is  that   that  pattern  is  repeated   365  time  in  a year ...  for  as  meny  years  as  the  person  lives...
and  you  never  go  to  sleep  as  one  person  ,  and  awaken  as  some  one  else...  

frankly  speaking...    the  concept  of  an afterlife  is  kinda  silly  really ....   kinda  like  a soul  parking  lot ,  where  classic  cars  are   restored   and  put  back  on  the  road  after  the  dings  and  dents  are  taken  out ...

....and  the  whole  christ  thing  is a bit  insulting realy ....    like  a  land lord / tenet  screening  process...  to  see  who  gets  in  the  gated  naborhood ...   where   if  you  do  not  do  well on  the  single  event  attitude   test ..  your  doomed  for  eternity .

do  you  really  want  to  be  among  the  people  who  get  admitted  ,  when  the  test  is  designed  to exclude  those  who  are confused  and    abused   to  the  greatest  degree by  the  sworn  enemy  of  god!

...   the  logic   is not  that  good  here ...   muslims   do  not  fair  any  better  on  their  logic ...

the  simple  answer  is...   afterlife   is  not  very  well  thought  out  ,  and  is  pretty  lame ...  you have  to  be  pretty  odd  to   think  it  makes  sense  ,  to  those  who  are  first  told  about  it ...  kinda  like  the  burning  in  hell  for  eternity  because  you  do  not  buy  into  the  advertising   of  a  organized  charity ...

i  know  god  is  real ,   and  i  can  not  see  how  god  is  happy  with  these  religons  marketing  his  brand   and  selling  points .

[onereaderone]

Frank Merton, on 06 February 2013 - 03:33 PM, said:

Where did you get that idea?  I want to be Bodhisattva.  Look it up -- all eternity helping people find the way.

yeah.....  what  you  said....    agree  in  concept  and  in  spirit!